The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for displaying an object and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displaying an object in a plurality of independent client areas where at least one of the client areas independently scrolls for allowing the relationship among the objects, the relative position of which is changed by a scroll of a client area, to be visually easily understood while they are displayed in a plurality of client areas.
Various applications have been heretofore used in which a plurality of independent client areas exist and at least one of the client areas independently scrolls. FIG. 21 shows an example of a display screen of such applications in which a client area A is provided in parallel with a client area B and scroll bars 50A, 50B are provided in each client area. Generally, the scroll bars 50A, 50B are generated by a function of an operating system when the client areas A, B are smaller than a logical display area 51. As shown in FIG. 21, when a plurality of independent client areas exist, it is desired to display a point or an area in the client area A in correlation to a point or an area in the client area B.
In such case, it is necessary to display an object such as a line connecting related points, or a figure including a rectangle, a circle and an ellipse encompassing related areas across the client areas A and B. It may be also necessary to display an object of an image or a character string across the client areas A and B. FIG. 22(a) shows an example in which related points are connected by a line. FIG. 23(a) shows an example of a rectangle encompassing related areas. FIG. 24(a) shows an example of displaying with an image. FIG. 25(a) shows an example of displaying a character string.
When a correlation between the client area A and the client area B is displayed by an object, the correlation can be visually understood at a glance. However, if a client area, for example, the client area B, is scrolled, the position of the object within the client area B moves and the relative position of the object within the client area A to the object within the client area B changes.
As an example of a case where an object is offset at the boundary of the client areas A and B by scrolling the client area B, FIG. 22(b) shows an example in which related points are connected by a line, FIG. 23(b) shows an example of a rectangle encompassing related areas, FIG. 24(b) shows an example of displaying with an image, and FIG. 25(b) shows an example of displaying a character string. In these examples, an object in the client area A and an object in the client area B are offset at the boundary between the client area A and the client area B, inviting a problem that a correlation can not be shown. Further, in an extreme case, there was a problem that an object in the client area A and an object in the client area B showed a wrong correlation or a wrong meaning.
In order to solve such problem, it may be conceived to render related objects among objects lying across a plurality of client areas in a same color or to flash such related objects. However, it is a problem that the original color changes when related objects are rendered in a same color. In addition, it is a problem that the number of objects increases when related objects are flashed. Therefore, none of the above solution could be a radical solution to solve the above problem.
A need therefore exists for a method of displaying objects displayed in a plurality of client areas in which a relationship between such objects can be easily understood at a glance without changing an original color or flashing, and a display device used therefor.
The inventive method of displaying objects in a plurality of client areas relate to a method in which a plurality of independent client areas exist and at least one of the client areas independently scrolls and particularly to a method of displaying a relationship between objects displayed in a plurality of client areas the relative position of which is changed by scrolling a client area. In a first aspect of the invention, an object is displayed by following the movement caused by scrolling. In a second aspect of the invention, an object is displayed by enlarging the object by the amount of movement caused by scrolling. In a third aspect of the invention, an object is displayed by marking a junction between objects in scrolling. In either case, correlation of objects displayed in a plurality of client areas can be visually understood at a glance easily.
In one preferred embodiment, when a plurality of objects exist and scrolling causes the objects to be crossed relative to each other, the objects are displayed with a space placed at the point of crossing or by a mark which indicates that objects are crossing while, when a plurality of objects exist and scrolling causes the objects to be overlapped with each other, the objects are displayed with the overlapped portion offset. In either case, a complex image is preferably displayed legibly.
In another preferred embodiment, the objects return to the initial display assuming at the time when the scroll position of an object is correlated by clicking a part of the object. This is preferable because the position and the shape of an object which goes out of a client area by scrolling over a large extent can be simply returned to the original position and shape.
The inventive display device for displaying an object displayed in a plurality of client areas comprises an overall control part including a client area managing part and a rendering object managing part, client area control parts provided corresponding, in number, to the number of the client areas and each having an external event input part and a position calculating part, and a control part for various figures having rendering/output parts for respective figures. In the display device of the above described configuration, each position calculating part recalculates the rendering position of an object in each client area with reference to client area managing information from the client area managing part and rendering object managing information from the rendering object managing part based on an external event inputted in the external event input part and causes the rendering/output part to display a rendering object in each client area based on the calculated rendering position of the object. The above described display method of this invention can be thus preferably implemented.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the present invention, will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and drawings.